Gov declares emergency after SF Bay quake

The quake struck near American Canyon, CA, early Sunday morning. (Source: CNN)

Following the earthquake, there are multiple reports of structure fires in the San Francisco Bay area. (Source: Dave Cannon via CNN)

The earthquake caused wine bottles to fall out of wine cellar and break. (Source: DAVID SILVER/CNN)

NAPA, CA (RNN) - Governor Jerry Brown has issued a state of emergency for the Napa Valley area after residents were awakened early Sunday morning when their houses started shaking.

Officials say 15 to 16 buildings are no longer inhabitable and there is limited access to other structures.

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake was responsible for the disruption as it shook the San Francisco Bay area. The USGS reports the quake is the largest in the area since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that measured 6.9 and interrupted the World Series being played in nearby Candlestick Park.

During a press conference Sunday, City Manager Mike Parness said the city declared a local emergency at 7:59 a.m. PT.

"We have exhausted our resources and we need more help from the outside, both the county and city is asking the governor to access resources from the state," Parness said.?

"We have right about 100 plus gas leaks, power lines are down, medical calls are about 80 plus in residential areas," said John Callahan, Operations Chief of the Napa Fire Department. "One major incident of a fireplace falling on a young child, who has been flown out to a neuro center."

Parness said there were six fire reports at different locations. There was one incident, Parness said, where six mobile homes were damaged - four of the six were completely damaged.

Public Works Director Jack LaRochelle said that older buildings were reinforcing their structures over the last few months.

"There were about 30 water main leaks or breaks in the west side of town, LaRochelle said. "It's geologically susceptible to damage."

The Associated Press cited Napa Valley firefighters in reporting ?three? serious injuries as a result of the quake along with multiple minor injuries. No deaths have been reported.

AP also reports 120 patients have been treated at a Bay Area hospital.

Queen of the Valley hospital spokeswoman Vanessa DeGier told CNN most of those injuries were cuts and bumps, one patient has multiple fractures.

?Officials are still assessing damage and injuries, and urban search-and-rescue teams have been called in.

Thousands are reported to be without power. The USGS estimates there are more than 100,000 people living in the immediate area near the earthquake's epicenter.

The quake hit just before 3:30 a.m. PT, and casualties are expected to be minimized due to the early hour.

Emily Massini, who lives near where the quake was centered in Napa Valley told CNN the effect of the tremor was jarring.

"I was asleep and was woken from my fairly deep sleep," Massini said. "It felt like a ride. I felt much like being on a roller coaster and felt like it was for much longer than it actually was. It felt like it was occurring for about five minutes before I really fully realized what was going on."

The temblor's center was located near American Canyon, CA, which is northeast of San Francisco and six miles southeast of Napa Valley. Seismologist Walter Hays told CNN the energy released by the quake was 30 times lower than the energy of the Loma Prieta quake.

Surveillance footage at the home of Camille Freking in Hercules, CA, captured images from inside her home when the quake hit.

"That's the biggest earthquake I've ever been in," Freking said. "I thought it was a thunderstorm, and then all of a sudden I see the chandelier in the dining room shaking. Everything's, you know, things that are on tables are falling off. I hear glass breaking. So, I ran upstairs to regroup with my family. But even my little brother - he's 11 years old - he's startled and rattled as well."

A 2.6-magnitude aftershock was felt shortly after the initial quake. The USGS tweeted that 30 to 70 aftershocks with the strongest measuring up to 5.0 could be expected over the next several days.

Napa High School is being used as a shelter, and the earthquake did not generate a pacific-wide tsunami.

The Napa Valley area is already experiencing an “exceptional drought,” as is 58 percent of California. Many of the region's famous wineries are threatened by the lack of water which produced 89 percent of the country's wine in 2012.

Firefighters hosed down blazing trees within a few feet of homes threatened by a wildfire that surged through suburban canyons in Southern California and sent hundreds of people scrambling for safety.More >>

Firefighters hosed down blazing trees within a few feet of homes threatened by a wildfire that surged through suburban canyons in Southern California and sent hundreds of people scrambling for safety.More >>

Mexican government officials are still calculating the economic losses of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that caused widespread damage in the capital, but for the manager of a downtown restaurant it is already all...More >>

Mexican government officials are still calculating the economic losses of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that caused widespread damage in the capital, but for the manager of a downtown restaurant it is already all too clear.More >>